splitmemory | riddle/cater shenanigans

Cater nods against Riddle's hair as he makes his suggestion. It puts a soft smile on his face. "Yeah," he agrees. "Let's come back."

It's not like they couldn't come back on a weekend after break, either, but...it felt different. Like something private would be intruded upon when there were more students around to witness it. Why? It shouldn't matter, really. Cater decides what he's really worried about is that Riddle will be too reluctant to come out when he'd rather be studying.

Yeah, that was definitely all it was.

Falling into silence again, Cater's quiet for awhile as he polishes off more of his cocoa. Even with the warmth of the drink and the warmth of Riddle's body heat, the chill from sitting still is starting to sink in a little too uncomfortably.

"Ready to get going?"

The only worry that made sense was that this spot could be taken up by someone else, another pair of students who found it, given that it wasn't all that hidden or hard to find. Sure, Riddle knew he'd love to make this a regular affair, to come to this spot every week, to spend hours upon hours sitting in each other's company in silence.... but that wasn't reasonable.

There's so many reasons why that wouldn't work. Why they wouldn't be able to do that, what would keep them from coming back when break was over.

Riddle works on drinking more of his own cocoa, a soft smile resting on his face, impossible to wipe away, even with the chill in the air.

By the time Cater asks, he's nearly finished with his drink. "In a moment." His hand pulls back from Cater's, despite his own internal protests. Taking off his glove for a second, he slips his small hand into Cater's pocket, snatching his phone before he can realize what he's doing. Pressing the button to turn the screen on, he swipes with his thumb to open the camera.

Holding the phone out in front of them, he sits up more properly, leaning up to let himself press closer to Cater, posing for once, purposefully. He seems to be capturing the background nicely in the photograph, as well as showing off the back of the small wooden swing bench they're on.

"You said you wanted a picture here. I'll take this one."

This is definitely a normal day filled with normal concerns by two very normal teenage boys. Nothing to overanalyze. Nothing to see here!

Cater's startled when Riddle reaches into his pocket, but then laughs as it becomes clear what he's doing. A grin spreads back across his face again as he gets in close, leaning in so that Riddle will be able to get a good photo with his shorter vantage point.

"Okay, I'm ready!"

Once the photo it taken, he laughs happily at how it looks on the screen. It's a whole different side of the two of them, isn't it? Nobody on Magicam would believe it to see Riddle in such a light. And speaking of Magicam...

"This is a good one. I think I'll keep it for myself."

Absolutely nothing to overanalyze, for if they did, maybe they'd realize how silly the both of them were being. Silly and dense, unable to see even a hint of the truth between them.

Riddle takes the photo once they're both ready, doing his absolute best to pose nicely against Cater, with a smile of his own that was so bright that he's sure only a few people had seen it.

Once it's taken, he moves the phone down to look at the photo with Cater, nodding in silent approval of his own photography skills, amateur as they were in comparison to Cater's.

"You will?" Riddle seems surprised, before letting out a small laugh, bringing his hand up as if to hide it. "Do whatever you want with it. I only ask one thing, regarding that photo."

"Send it to me."

With those four words, he pulls his glove back on, quickly drinking the last bit of his own cocoa. Then, he shifts to stand back up, preparing to continue on with Cater.

"Of course!" With the agreement to send Riddle the picture, Cater stashes his phone and stands, all but snatching Riddle's hand again to help pull him up. It wasn't like he needed the help, but Cater couldn't seem to help himself, as if he just wanted an excuse to hold onto the other boy's hand.

Weird!

Anyway, as to not think about that too much, he polishes off his own drink and starts to guide them first to the closest trash can so they can do away with the empty cups.

"Have you ever tried ice skating? There's a pond deeper into the park that freezes over around this time, and they usually have someone supplying skates. We could do that, if it sounds like fun."

Riddle allows his hand to be taken, almost feeling lost without the hand in his own. He's not going to question that whatsoever, deciding it wasn't anything he needed to worry about right this second. It's only due to how they'd been holding hands this whole day, obviously.

It wasn't like Riddle wanted to hold hands. No way. Not even if it felt nice, comfortable.

As soon as they get to the trash bin, Riddle tosses his cup away, his eyes widening and his smile turning a little nervous.

Ice skating...
"I've never done it," There's a brief hesitation in his tone, before he offers a firm nod. "We can try. You have to promise to help me. If I fall it'll be your fault! Got it?"

"Hey, what kind of loyal card soldier would I be if I let you fall?"

Squeezing Riddle's hand, Cater can't help the pep in his step as he leads them forward, toward the frozen pond. It doesn't take too long before it comes into view, and like Cater said, there's a stand nearby advertising skates. Like the rest of the park, it seems like they have it pretty much to themselves--they definitely picked a good time to come and check things out.

"I'll help you lace them up and everything. Now, let's get you fitted with a pair."

There's a slight nervous energy practically radiating from Riddle as they head for the pond. A new experience was one thing when it came to sweets. A new experience with physical activity? That's a whole other issue, something that Riddle might actually have trouble with. More so than he was trying to let on.

"Oh-- alright." He moves towards the stand. It only takes a few moments of chatting with the person working at the stand to figure out which pair might fit Riddle the best. He waits for Cater to get his too before moving over to a nearby bench, sitting himself down.

Leaning down, he starts to work on getting his heels off first. Why oh why did he have to wear such complicated shoes?!

"Have you gone ice skating before?" He thinks to ask finally, wondering how experienced Cater was with it.

Once they reach the bench, Cater has no trouble slipping off his sneakers and getting into his skates. It seems like he knows what he's doing, considering how easily he gets the laces snugly tied. He gives Riddle a moment, letting him get his own shoes off and put his feet into the skates, before he kneels down into the snow to help with lacing them up.

"Yeah, I've gone a handful of times. Both here during the season and at home, depending on where we're living at the time. Most of the places we've lived in have snowy winters, but there have been a couple where it doesn't get cold enough to go ice skating outdoors." There were indoor skating rinks, of course, but Cater wasn't interested enough in the activity to seek it out to that extent. That required having enough friends you cared about going out with, after all. Most of the people Cater was friendly with, he wouldn't necessarily want to spend an extended amount of time with--it would be too tiring to stay "on" for them that long. Doing so between classes was tiring enough.

As he explains his ice skating experience, Cater's fingers make quick work of Riddle's laces. He explains, "I have to make them a bit tight, so you don't hurt your ankles if you lose balance--not that I'll let you fall, just like I promised."

Almost by instinct, as Cater kneels down in the snow to help him, Riddle's chin tilts up, his gaze neutral. Both of his arms have crossed over his chest, the emotion written in his expression hard to parse as anything aside from that look most would call the look of the 'tyranical Queen'. Really, who was going to say that Riddle Rosehearts didn't deserve to be taken care of a little in this way.

"I see..." Riddle uncrosses his arms, setting both of his hands on either side of him, leaning forward towards Cater. A focused look, as if he was trying to pick something apart with the movement of the other boy's fingers and the laces. "It wasn't often that I did physical activity of any kind," A small admission, nothing more than that. "Ice skating, rollerskating, nothing of the sort. There wasn't ever any time for it." That... was a little more sad than he meant it to sound. Blinking, Riddle adjusts, forcing himself to readjust where his mind was going.

"I'm excited. Scared, sure, but... You'll keep your word. I trust that you won't let me fall, even if I stumble." As Cater finishes tying the laces, Riddle shifts to try to stand up, feeling his face flush with a mix of focus and unwell. Maybe - just maybe - ice skating in his condition was a bad idea.

Not that he was going to say anything. He wanted to do it, wanted to try it, with Cater.

"Well," Cater starts as he stands as well, immediately reaching for both of Riddle's hands so he can help him make his way onto the ice without stumbling, "if you have fun, we can come back and do this again, too. If you're not doing any spins or other advanced moves, it's more about balance than anything. I think you'll get the hang of it."

They take things slowly, and Cater stops just before they step onto the ice.

"I'll go first. Ready?"

Taking both of Cater's hands, squeezing them both between his own, Riddle carefully shuffles along with Cater through the snow towards the ice, his heart pounding in his chest. "I can walk perfectly fine in heels after only a year," Riddle reasons, "This should be no problem for me to master in a shorter time than that."

The confidence is clear, coming from a place of determination to be good at everything he tries.

They reach the ice faster than Riddle had expected. He nods quickly. "Yeah. I'm ready..!"

Honestly, Cater has no idea just how badly this is going to go. But, well, Riddle is as confident as ever and Cater decides to think positive. He's sure that he can keep Riddle on his feet, even if Riddle needs to cling onto him the entire time. The point was having fun, so as long as Cater made sure that Riddle came out of this smiling, he'd feel like he did a good job.

"Alright, here we go!"

He steps onto the ice first, slowly encouraging Riddle to step onto the ice and join him as he drifts backward, away from the edge.

"Tip your foot forward if you need to stop, there are divots in the blade that act as a break."

Cater doesn't so much as stumble, clearly as home on the blades as he is on a broom. Regardless of how he looks in contrast to his skating partner, he won't let go of Riddle's hands.

Oh, Seven, what the fuck had he gotten himself into?! Riddle can feel his heart beating hard in his chest, his hands shaking as he clings onto Cater's. If not for the confidence Cater had, the gentle tug of his hands to pull him along with him. Oh, he really felt like he was going to fall.

His legs shake similarly to how they shook the month he was wearing heels for the very first time, his knees finding it difficult to keep up.

Eyes up, Riddle, keep your eyes on Cater.

He manages to stay balanced for the first moment, his breath catching in the back of his throat. His face has gotten so red by this point, head spinning with focus.

"The skates are-- heavy. How do I move without falling??"

The question comes out in a shaky panic, as he begins to stumble further, his eyes wide like a deer in headlights. "Ca-- Cater-- Are you sure I won't fall????"

"Don't try and lift your legs like walking. It's more like gliding, push forward instead of stepping." He doesn't let go of Riddle, keeping him from going down when he stumbles. It's a good thing that Riddle is so slight--it makes it it easier to keep himself on his feet as he plays support. As if to demonstrate, Cater shifts himself backward on the ice, using his hold on Riddle's hands to pull him forward.

Still, he can see that Riddle's struggling, so he stops going farther in on the ice and instead moves his hands further up Riddle's arms. "Here, hold onto my waist, that should help."

Hold. Onto... his waist? Riddle nods quickly, moving his hands down to grasp onto Cater's waist. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Riddle focuses his attention back on the other teen in front of him, trying to still his shaking limbs. His focus goes completely on this task. Shifting forward, 'gliding' with one foot... okay, that wasn't that bad. Cater had him, it was easier to hold there on his waist.

The other foot, now. Riddle breathes out a huffy sigh as he manages it. He still stumbles a little, but he's beginning to get the hang of it.

With another huff, he looks up to Cater. "Is this... right...?" He asks, his fingers tangling against the fabric of Cater's jacket.

Oh no. Looking up at him while they're-- so close. A mistake. A big, big mistake. Riddle's eyes widen further, his shoulders tensing, and... another small laugh finally escapes him. "I must look like a fool, clinging onto you like a child."

Cater lets out a huff of a laugh, but it isn't at all at Riddle's expense. He shakes his head. "No, not at all. You look..."

Actually, when Cater really looks at him, at those big nervous eyes, Riddle held on so close and so tightly, the words that come into his head to finish that sentence aren't at all that he was going to say. He blinks, momentarily forgetting himself, shaking off the feeling.

"You look like you're getting the hang of it! It's scary, being on ice for the first time. When it was me, my sisters didn't help me at all. You should've seen how much I fell. Bruises all over my arms. But, hey, I learned."

His smile softens.

"Forget about how you look. How do you feel?"

Why did it feel like Cater was going to say something else? That he changed what he was going to say, got distracted-- it didn't matter, not really. Riddle was distracted as it was, focused up on Cater to keep himself steady, fingers tangled in the fabric of his jacket as tightly as they could be to keep himself up.

How do you feel? That question was so difficult to answer, to put into words that made sense in the moment. With another move, another push forward, they're moving - shaky, sure, but he's managing, moving with Cater on the ice with his 'lead'.

"... Happy." Riddle finally answers, pulling one of his hands back from Cater on instinct to adjust his scarf, hiding such a silly smile behind it.

His ankles hurt. His knees felt like they were going to give out any minute. His whole body ached something dull and painful. His face burns, body felt unnaturally warm. It's so difficult to focus, to keep himself up, to relax his breathing, to calm his pounding heart.

Still, he felt happy, no matter how distracting all these feelings were.

Cater feels like his heart is lifting up in his chest with that one little word: happy. Riddle was red-faced from the cold and clearly not at all comfortable on the ice...but he was doing it, and he was having fun. It was exactly what he had hoped for. More than he expected, if he's being honest. It feels good.

"I'm happy, too," he says in a small voice, as if confiding a secret.

All the while, he keeps directing them on the ice, slow and steady, not wanting to push Riddle anywhere past his comfort zone.

"Let me know if you need a break, okay?"

A break. That... is probably something Riddle should have asked for sooner. His hold on Cater slips ever so slightly, enough that it causes a momentary panic to flutter in his chest again. His hands grasp at the other boy again, grabbing at his chest in an attempt to steady himself.

"H-- Hey... I'm..." Dizzy. Everything was catching up at once, hitting him like a truck due to all the exerted energy, the struggle he was trying to push down so far.
It's one movement, one push forward, and Riddle is collapsing against Cater, unable to hold himself up. Unable to even grasp at him to try and steady himself.

His body falls against the taller teen's weakly, like a rag doll. If Cater weren't fast enough, he'd end up collapsing onto the ice as a whole.

This will, probably, not teach Riddle not to push himself too hard.

"W-Whoa--hey--"

Luckily, Cater does manage to catch Riddle, first as he slips, working to steady him, but then realizing that he's going down, loops his arms underneath the smaller teen's to keep him on his feet, cradled against him. He looks around in a panic, trying to figure out what to do. He's not weak, but it's still a lot of weight to keep in on himself when he's trying to keep them both upright on the ice

"Okay, um, stay with me." The sentiment seems almost more for himself as he carefully inches them both back to solid ground. If he wasn't wearing ice skates, he'd have just picked Riddle up completely. As it is, it feels like it takes ages to get back to the park bench to sit Riddle down, and he's definitely broken out into a sweat underneath his clothes.

"Riddle, are you okay? Tell me what happened."

It's impossible for Riddle to keep himself up, or to even focus on Cater's words. His hands grasp as tightly as they can against him, which... really wasn't much, his hold weak, staggering. Riddle's breathing comes out in heavy puffs, even as he's cradled against Cater.

The time in between his collapse and them managing to get to the park bench felt like ages.

His focus doesn't return even as he's sat down, his gaze hazy and unfocused. With a shaky hand, Riddle tugs off one of his gloves, before pressing his hand against his head, trying to steady his swirling vision. Why couldn't he handle it a little more? For just a little longer, to push down these feelings, to push himself a little harder? The day had been so perfect until he crumbled under his own weakness.

"I'm-- fine." Riddle finally manages out, even if that was obviously not the case. He can feel the frustration building, the tears stinging at his eyes, for even a second.

No, I don't want to be this weak. I want to--!!

His body was shaking, he could feel that much. His hand falls down to cover his mouth as he clears his throat. He avoids Cater's gaze completely, shoulders tense.

Cater rubs his hands together to rid some of the chill from his palms before he presses one to Riddle's forehead. In his head, he sweats, an uncharacteristic frown falling over his face, brow pinched together. You're warm, he had said earlier. Now, he's realizing just how stupid he'd been. Completely blind to everything but his own ideas of how the day should go.

"You're not fine. You're burning up."

Had he been feeling sick all day? Is that why he hadn't had any appetite, earlier? Cater was glad, at least, that he'd convinced Riddle to eat, but they never should've gone out if he was feeling like this, especially not with it being so cold.

"You should be resting. Let's get you back to the dorm, okay?"

He hurries to start undoing those heavy skates from Riddle's feet. It'll be more comfortable, at least, not to feel like he has cement blocks weighing him down.

Damn it all. Riddle had hoped desperately, stupidly, to keep this hidden under lock and key. To avoid Cater finding out at all. If he had to find out how he'd been feeling, why couldn't it have been later, once they were already on their way back to Heartslabyul?

The hand against his forehead would be slapped away if he'd been able to react fast enough, to try in vain to avoid the inevitable.

"I don't need to rest--" Riddle snaps, but he can't actually bring himself to be all that harsh with Cater when it hit him so hard. He's unable to stop the other boy from undoing the skates. Even if he felt better in the next minute, he's sure he wouldn't be able to go back out there.

One of his hands, the one he'd taken the glove off of, reaches at Cater, trying to stop his hands for a second, to get him to pay attention to him.

"I don't want to go. If we do--"
"Today ends. I don't want that."

Even with their promised plans to come back out here another time during break, the words are choked out, in a whine that's all too childish coming from the Housewarden. How could he want today to end? When they'd been so close, when he felt so many new things in one day--...

It pisses him off to no end. Not at Cater, not at Cater at all.

...oh.

Cater stops what he's doing to look up at Riddle, letting loose a huff. He doesn't smile, but his expression softens. Almost like a knight taking the hand of a royal, he takes that small, too warm hand in his own and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"It's not over. When we get back home, I'll think of something else for us to do--so you can still have fun while you rest."

He didn't know exactly what, yet, but he didn't want Riddle to feel regret. He didn't want the day to end, either. Staying out here did neither of them any good, though. Once they were back on campus and Riddle was tucked away in bed, if he didn't fall asleep right away, Cater would figure something out.

riddle/cater shenanigans

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